Auto Biography: The Subaru Legacy in 0-60 Seconds

THERE'S something deceptive about Subarus. They appear to be obeying the usual Japanese car design rules, but they take unscheduled left turns. I first noticed this with the Subaru SVX, a big, brash, bizarre machine that looked like a reject from Thunderbirds. Nevertheless, it was a magnet for the kind of Nineties motor enthusiasts who wear baseball caps backwards, and performed with a vividness that induced some journals to treat it as a somewhat vulgar but entirely capable rival to a Jaguar in both smoothness and pace.

Subaru do something unusual, not just in Japanese automotive culture, but in the contemporary monolithic motor industry environment in general - they build cars with idiosyncrasies. They make sharp- handling, alert and very smooth cars that get their results by unconventional means, and at pounds 15,249 they're better equipped than most of their classmates for the money. But at first these qualities are not apparent. The design of the new Subaru Legacy, for instance, initially suggests a Ford Mondeo as reinterpreted by Proton: a slight visual naffness in the wheel-trims, the body curves, the mid-line trim, the windows.

Strictly speaking, the Legacy belongs in the already overcrowded Mondeo league, but it has plenty of points in its favour to push it ahead of the pack. The company has made substantial improvements to this year's Legacy range, with major modifications to the engines, running gear and brakes. Among its unconventional attributes, the Legacy uses a flat-four engine: its pistons, in other words, operate in a plane parallel to the road, rather than up and down. Though not widely used (the VW Beetle was the most famous road-going exponent, though it was hardly quiet) it's a design that keeps the centre of gravity and the level of engine vibration low, and the extreme quietness of the Legacy bears Subaru's conviction out. The company has also improved the plumbing that gets the gas in and out, with power and fuel economy both benefiting. The car is spacious for its class, strong but light, handles well and rides well. It features permanent four-wheel drive to assist its bad- weather grip, has electric windows and central locking throughout the range and anti-lock brakes on all but the most basic model.

Subarus are acquired tastes, but once acquired customers tend to stick around, according to the company's figures. This is a car that has made a distinctive mark in a sales sector it's very hard impress. There's a three-year or 60,000 mile warranty, six-year anti-corrosion guarantee and three years free membership of Subaru's road rescue scheme, too.

AND ON MY RIGHT: Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0i GLS ( pounds 13,640): an old faithful, hard to fault for practical motoring, but humdrum and uninvolving to drive, specs not as comprehensive; Toyota Carina E 2.0 GLi ( pounds 14,048): nicer-looking, but very bland, and only the costlier models are comparable on extras; Ford Mondeo 2.0Si ( pounds 15,885): noisier engine, slightly better handling and driving feel, but has to be at this price level before the equipment is comparable.